Simplify Your Online Life for Ongoing Success

Simplify Your Online Life for Ongoing Success

How often have you been tempted by the promise of a new app or plugin, a new product, or exciting new features on one of the many social platforms? Whether you were guaranteed to find new leads, drive hordes of people to your website or to simplify your life, chances are you've purchased a program or downloaded an app that did not live up to its promise.

The Fear of Missing Out

As Americans, we tend to think that more is more. We often want to jump on downloading the latest cool new app or get involved with a hot new social media network because we’re afraid we’ll miss out on something if we don’t. This fear of missing out on the latest and the greatest trends can do us more harm than good. We can end up over-burdened with digital clutter that we can’t manage. For example, there’s dozens of apps dedicated to helping you manage your tasks and to-do lists. These productivity apps can keep you spinning your wheels in non-productivity. Think about it: for each app you download, you have to figure out how to manage it. You have another password to manage. And, there’s the learning curve of actually figuring out how to operate the darn thing. On top of that, you have to make sure that you regularly update the app in order to be certain that it’s functioning properly. Whew. That’s a lot to deal with, especially when you have 10, 20, 30 or even more apps to maintain. Maybe your computer and smartphone have ample memory to accommodate that clutter, but does your “mental RAM” have enough room?Your attention and memory are precious commodities. Don’t dissipate them with needless junk in your online life. Unless you have a full marketing team to manage and learn all these apps, you likely can use that time and energy for other aspects of your business, or perhaps even for a little rest and relaxation for yourself!Despite our inclinations to go for “more is more!” – what’s true is that when it comes to your online life and the amount of apps you allow to take your attention, less is actually more.

The Benefits of Simplifying Your Online Life

Too often, small business owners lose focus of the purpose of social media 'networking' - that's right, networking. Networking is not about showing off the newest gadgets, tricks or shiny objects. Networking is about building relationships. By simplifying your online life, you not only alleviate much unnecessary stress, but you can more easily develop relationships with your customers and prospects because you have more time and energy to devote to them. By focusing on a few primary channels, you are able to highlight your genuine self and build trust and long-term relationships that lead to paying customers. And yes, sometimes it's ok to learn some of the new bells and whistles... when you limit yourself to just a few apps.

A Simpler Online Path for Sustained Success

Managing a consistent email marketing campaign while ENGAGING with your audience via a few social media platforms will save you time, money and stress AND yield better results than jumping at every shiny new app or feature. Blogging and applying basic SEO are two additional activities that can help to showcase your skills/products and to drive traffic to your site. Beyond that, think twice before you jump on the bandwagon. Depending on your industry, your target audience and the size of your business, you might not need anything beyond the basics.

Remember, keep it simple and keep it genuine.Sometimes less truly is more.